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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

It only took twelve years to admit this but I must say that in spite of the heat and humidity I really love summers here in the South. Yes. I've said it. Love them. You might wonder what else is to summer here that would make me forgive the mosquitoes, head bashing heat and stick-to-your-clothes-like-frosting-on-a-cupcake humidity. Well...Thunderstorms! Rain! Afternoon showers! Tea breaks and evening swims!

It was not until a recent conversation with my parents that I realized what summer here was like versus what I thought it should be: it's like back home. Just a tad stronger. Every afternoon around 4pm the skies darken and the rain slowly moves in. Thunder. Lightning. The skies get a thick cloud cover and the house is nothing but shadows. It reminds me so much of the summer months of my childhood that it makes it bearable.

This weekend was no exception and we gladly took the opportunity to do as much as early as possible and cozy up in the afternoon. That's the thing to do during summers here, start early and keep going until the rain stops you or the craving for a cold drink and a sit down become too strong. We set up on the dining room table and started working on our respective tasks, facing each other. Looking up once in a while. Bouncing ideas off of each other as they came along. Drawing directions and paths to the life we want to live.

We did just that on Saturday in the later part of the afternoon just as the rain was starting to fall against the window and we sat there quietly listening. A new summer ritual. A good cup of French press coffee or a cold glass of milk, a plate of still warm tea cakes or a handful of cookies. I suddenly got a hunkering for the coconut ice cream I had made specially for profiteroles to celebrate our anniversary the next day. Instead of a snack we stayed true to the past 12 years being married and did the opposite of what was planned. We had dessert before dinner.

Toasted coconut ice cream from David Lebovitz via my friend Jen, financiers made with the olallieberry jam that Anita had given me in Boulder, a plate of fresh figs. The first we've had this season.

I like summers here after all...

Olallieberry Jam Financiers:

Makes 12

Note: you can substitute any type of jam for the one I used here. You can also use about 3/4 cup of fresh cut fruit or 3/4 cup fresh berries instead.

Preheat your oven to 375F and position a rack in the center. Lightly butter the inside of 12 financiers molds or muffin tins and place them on a baking sheet. Set aside.In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, melt the butter until it turns to a rich hazelnut brown color. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve.Mix together the powdered sugar, flour, ground almonds and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the egg whites and mix on low speed until all the ingredients are coming together. Add the brown butter, increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth.Divide the batter among your molds, drop about 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam in the middles and swirl with the tip of a knife. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the coconut on a baking sheet line with parchment paper and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. Keep a close eye on it as it toasts rather fast and goes from perfect to burnt even faster. Remove from the oven when it is golden brown and let cool completely.In a large saucepan set over medium high heat, warm the milk heavy cream, salt and add the toasted coconut. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.Re-heat the cream mixture over medium heat until hot. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Slowly pour the cream mixture over the egg yolks, stirring as you do. Whisk well. Place the mixture back into the saucepan over medium and cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spatula. Remove from the heat and pour it through fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Press the back of your spoon against the coconut to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible. Add the rum and let cool to room temperature (you can place a piece of plastic wrap and poke holes through it to prevent condensation if you are concerned about leaving things uncovered at your house). Once cooled, refrigerate the mixture until completely cold (I let mine in the fridge overnight) then freeze in your ice cream machine according to its manufacturer's instructions.

I absolutely *love* that strong directional light in the last photo! And one thing I do wish we had more here in California were afternoon thunderstorms. There's something just incredibly romantic about them.

I *love* a good thunderstorm in the heart of summer! and coming to your blog...oh my your photos are always so incredibly enchanting to me and inspirational! What perfect financiers and more perfect with such a lovely icecream!

When I was a child - back in the days of no seat belt laws - I used to lie in the back seat window of the car and watch the lightening as we would be driving. I also remember sitting on the front porch watching the rain come down and watching the lightening. Something that used to scare my Nanny to death was very comforting to me for some reason!

Now, having dessert first on your anniversary is an absoultey perfect way to celebrate! Everything looks awesome and I am really liking the Coconut Ice Cream!

Wow! That coconut icecream seems delisciuous. I will definitely give it a try. I just love coconut. Thank you for the recipe and inspiring photos. Here in Finland we have now 88 fahrenheit (31 celssius) in the shadow... just little bit too hot for me ;) If this continues I hope that I will get used to it. Have a nice day!

I grew up in Colorado. Get up very early,do the "stuff" around the house before it got too hot, settle in for the afternoon and then watch the awe-inspiring natural fireworks of the nightly thunder storms.

Yeah to dessert before dinner! Sometimes in Southern California I wish for those days where we are forced inside to ponder & create. Growing up back east we had many such days. When I am in Telluride next month I will embrace the afternoon monsoons to cuddle up with my kids, get creative & cook up goodies. Your financiers and coconut ice cream look delicious! xxoo

Oh how I envy you right now, it is winter here, I'm in the other hemisphere :)I will try that recipe for the Olallieberry Jam Financiers. Only since last month that I started baking and i love it!! Haven't tried using almond and rice flour, can't wait to see what happens! Sometimes with my baking you never know lol!Thanks for sharing :)Elizabeth, NZ.

I'm going to have to make the coconut ice cream. I had some in Germany when I lived there but haven't found any since that was comparable. The kind I had, had toasted bits of coconut swirled into coconut ice cream. Yummy! :)

I love thunderstorms! I remember as a child being allowed to sit in the way-back of my parents' (parked) station wagon with the door open, watching the storms roll in over the mountains around our home. It was a compromise - I wanted to be *in* the storm, my parents wanted me out of harms' way!

Congrats on your anniversary! I can't say enough good things about doing the opposite of what's planned. :)

Hello Helene. I tried the ice cream recipe and used 230 g of desiccated coconut. It seemed to me more than a cup but I added it anyway. The coconut absorbed almost 80% of the cream mixture leaving me with a very small amount of actual cream in the end. I don't know what went wrong. Is desiccated coconut the same as dried shredded coconut? Maybe there lies the problem? I'm still waiting for it to chill and put it in the ice cream machine. I'm sure it will taste fantastic but I wish there was more of it.

magda: hard for me to tell I have never made it with desiccated coconut so I could not tell you if 1/the weight is the same 2/the absorption is the same. Apparently not.Maybe you can try to press the coconut really well on the sieve next time or wrap it in cheesecloth and squeeze it dry.

The ollalieberry is my most favorite berry in the worl. In California we get them for a few weeks fresh and the pies they make are heavenly. I think I will have to go to the market today for some jam if they have some just to warm it a little and pur over vanilla ice cream. Thanks for the memory

Helene, I am making this right now and I have all this revived coconut in the sieve that I'm sad to throw away. Could I make a coconut icing from it, do you think? Like for a german chocolate cake? Or is it just going to be icky now? Thanks!

The more I think about this, it seems obvious that everything good in the coconut is gone-- it has been sucked up by this AMAZING ice cream. It was a total success. Seriously maybe the best ice cream I've had (outside of Italy, but you can't blame the recipe for that!)

I doubled the rum, and it took a little longer to come into the ice cream state because it decreased the freezing temp a bit. But it worked beautifully.